SEOUL: Thousands of supporters of South Korea’s two leading presidential candidates rallied in Seoul on Saturday, three days before a vote triggered by the ex-leader’s disastrous declaration of martial law.

Tuesday’s election caps months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office.

All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 per cent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.

Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) that Yoon left this month, trailed Lee on 35 per cent. Organisers from both camps told police they expected tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Seoul on Saturday. In Seocho, in the south of the capital, Lee supporters gathered holding signs condemning Yoon’s “insurrection”.

Polls suggest liberal leader Lee Jae-myung on the verge of winning the election

“I believe the outcome of the presidential election is already decided,” Lee Kyung-joon, a Lee supporter, said. “I came to today’s rally to help condemn the forces involved in the martial law attempt,” he said, referring to ex-president Yoon’s political allies.

Yoon is on trial for insurrection and Kwon Oh-hyeok, one of the organisers of Saturday’s rally, said a Lee Jae-myung victory in Tuesday’s vote was crucial to holding him accountable.

“Isn’t the People Power Party’s decision to run in the snap election — triggered by Yoon’s removal from office — an insult and a betrayal of the people?” Kwon told rally participants. “Fellow citizens, we must win by a landslide to deliver the justice this moment demands.”

In Gwanghwamun Square on the other side of town, conservatives — including supporters of disgraced ex-leader Yoon — filled the streets holding signs that read “Yoon Again” and “Early voting is invalid!” Yoon’s martial law attempt, which he claimed was necessary to “root out” pro-North Korean, “anti-state” forces, emboldened a wave of extreme supporters including far-right YouTubers and radical religious figures.

Many have spread unverified content online, including allegations of Chinese espionage and fraud within South Korea’s electoral system. That sentiment was on full display at Saturday’s conservative rally, where protesters called for the dissolution of the National Election Commission over a series of mishaps during the two-day early voting period this week.

“People believe the root of all these problems lies with the National Election Commission, and that it should be held accountable,” protester Rhee Kang-san said. Ex-president Yoon sent a message to the conservative rally through a group led by a far-right Christian figure, which was read aloud by a supporter on his behalf.

“Our country is now facing a grave and unprecedented crisis,” Yoon’s message said, urging people to vote for the PPP candidate Kim.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2025